Top 5 players to play for the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs

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Colorado Rockies shortstop Neifi Perez, checks first base as he runs down Arizona Diamondbacks’ Jay Bell between second and third base during the sixth inning 15 May 1999 in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks won 9-2. AFP PHOTO/Mike FIALA (Photo by Mike FIALA / AFP) (Photo credit should read MIKE FIALA/AFP via Getty Images) /

Wow, that road series went a lot better than I expected. I am choosing to focus on that rather than the lack of Colorado Rockies trade deadline news, which was covered much more colorfully on this very website over the weekend.

Hopefully, we can see some of that first-half-home Colorado Rockies as the Chicago Cubs come to Coors Field. The two teams have a surprising number of shared players between them, so let’s look into their shared history and rank the top five players in both franchises.

Total Number of shared players: 84

Exclusively Colorado Rockies and Cubs players:

Manny Corpas

Mario Encarnacion

Tony Wolters

I know that I rarely write much in this section but I just wanted to point out that Manny Corpas is the best player to show up on this exclusivity list. Corpas was one of the best pitchers in the 2007 Colorado Rockies season, even getting a win in the NLCS. He doesn’t appear on the list, so I just wanted to take the time to point him out here.

Honorable Mentions:

Jeromy Burnitz

Tyler Chatwood

Manny Corpas

Wade Davis

Carlos Gonzalez

DJ LeMahieu

Jason Marquis

Here are the top five players to suit up for both the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs

5. Neifi Perez

Neifi Perez appeared in the Top 5 Rockies-Giants list all the way back in April, making this the second list that he has appeared on. Perez was an international signee by the Rockies in their first year of existence. Perez was never the king of the bat, despite leading the league in triples in 1999, but he was a wizard with the glove. He even won a Gold Glove with 2.1 dWAR in 2000. Perez joined the Cubs in 2004 after being traded by the Giants. His defense reached its peak with Chicago accruing 2.7 dWAR in 2005.

The Cubs traded Perez to Detroit in 2006. He was a rare poor bat at Coors Field, but his glove more than made up for it. Perez was a trade piece who tried to help border teams compete. He has appeared before … and we have a lot more to go.

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 20: Eric Young #21 the Colorado Rockies looks on during batting practice of a baseball game against the New York Mets on April 20, 1996 at Shea Stadium in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

4. Juan Pierre

Juan Pierre topped not only the Philadelphia Phillies list (the first Top 5 list), but also the Miami Marlins list. I swear I am not just a Juan Pierre fanboy or anything; he was just an underrated player in the early to mid-2000s. I have spoken about how great Pierre was for the Rockies twice now, so let’s focus on what he did with the Cubs.

Smack dab in the middle of his five-year streak of not missing a single game, the Florida Marlins traded Pierre to the Cubs. In 2006, Pierre led the league in games, at-bats, hits, and singles. He was also second in the league in steals and triples with the Cubs. Juan Pierre was a talented baseball player, well deserving of making this list.

3. Eric Young, Sr.

More from Colorado Rockies All-Time Lists

I swear that there are people on this list that haven’t appeared in previous lists. Those dedicated among you might remember Eric Young Sr. from our Top 5 Rangers-Rockies list, where he also ranked number 3. I went very much in-depth on him in that article so, yet again, I am going to hit his basics and focus on his time with the Chicago Cubs.

Young Sr. was an overlooked part of the 1995 Colorado Rockies, he was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and was the steals king, leading the franchise in steals to this very day. Eric Young Sr. found his way onto the Chicago Cubs via a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 1999. Young Sr. was an outstanding player on a bad club, finishing third in WAR among the 2000 Cubs. Not that he didn’t earn it, though.

In 2000, Young Sr. recorded the second-most hits, walks, and doubles and the most steals of his entire career while on the Cubs. He was a great Colorado Rockies player and was a very good Cub in the time of Sammy Sosa.

25 Apr 1993: Catcher Joe Girardi of the Colorado Rockies waits to catch the ball during a game against the Florida Marlins at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Mandatory Credit: Tim de Frisco /Allsport /

2. Joe Girardi

Joe Girardi is important to Colorado Rockies fans for one main reason: He was a catcher who could hit, something the team has been sorely nostalgic for the past few years.

The Cubs drafted Girardi in 1986 out of Northwestern University. Girardi made his debut in 1989 and was the Cubs starting catcher by the 1989 NLCS against the Giants. In that series, Girardi did not perform well, only earning one walk and a hit among his 12 plate appearances.

Colorado selected Girardi in the 1992 expansion draft and made him the Opening Day starter for the team. Girardi was also the starting catcher for the Rockies’ first postseason berth in 1995. Girardi did about the same in the 1995 NLDS as he had in the 1989 NLCS, going only 2-for-16 in the series. The Rockies traded Girardi to the Yankees after the season and then he returned to the club that drafted him. Girardi signed with the Cubs yet again from 2000 to 2002 to rejoin the former Rockies manager Don Baylor. Girardi performed well and even earned the only All-Star appearance of his career during this second stint with the Cubs.

After he was done with the Cubs, Girardi only played 16 more games in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals. Girardi has since become a legendary manager, but that’s less important for this list right now, so here we go to number one.

1. Dexter Fowler

I mean, who else could it be?

Dexter Fowler was a fan favorite leadoff man for both the Rockies and the Cubs. The Rockies drafted Fowler in the 14th round of the 2004 draft. He made a brief debut in 2008 before being made a starter during the 2009 season. He was the starter during the 2009 postseason run of course and performed well. Fowler, however, broke out in 2012, being the best position player on the entire Rockies roster.

He was traded to the Astros following the 2013 season and signed a two-year deal with the Cubs following that campaign. Fowler was critical to both the Cubs’ 2015 and 2016 postseason runs. In 2016 specifically, Fowler earned the third-highest position player WAR among the entire club, even earning an All-Star nod that year. In the legendary World Series win, Fowler hit two separate home runs, including one to lead off Game 7.

Fowler was one of the best Rockies of the early 2010s and has solidified himself in Chicago Cubs lore. There is no one else who comes even close to deserving this top spot.

dark. Next. 3 things to know about Cubs and Rockies since their last meeting

Note: Data for this article was found using Baseball-Reference

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